JP2024074187A - Sheet processing device and image forming system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a sheet binding device mounted with a needleless binding mechanism and a needle binding mechanism, which is configured so that when the needleless binding mechanism is arranged closer to a front side of the device than the needle binding mechanism, needles can be replenished into the needle binding mechanism, with a compact structure.SOLUTION: A needleless binding unit 27 is arranged closer to a front side of a device than a staple unit 17. When needles are replenished into the staple unit 17, the staple unit 17 is moved to a needle replenishing position. In so doing, the needleless binding unit 27 is retreated to a position which is closer to the front side of the device than the staple unit 17 in a sheet width direction and closer to the front side of the device than the needleless binding position of the needleless binding unit 27.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

The present invention relates to a sheet binding device that aligns and binds sheets, and more specifically to a device equipped with different types of binding means.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a sheet binding device that performs a binding process on a plurality of sheets on which images are formed by an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer.
Known types of such sheet binding devices include a so-called staple binding method that uses metal staples as a binding device for binding sheets, and a so-called stapleless binding method that binds sheets without using metal staples as a binding device. Stapleless binding methods include a method of binding sheets by crimping the sheets to entangle the fibers of the sheets, and a method of binding sheets by cutting out a part of the sheet to make a hole and folding back the cut-out part of the sheet to pass through the hole.

As shown in Patent Document 1, some sheet binding devices are equipped with both a staple binding mechanism that staples sheets using a staple binding method, and a stapleless binding mechanism that staples sheets using a stapleless binding method, and select either the staple binding method or the stapleless binding method to staple the sheets. In this binding device, the stapleless binding mechanism is fixed to one end of one side of the sheets, and the staple binding mechanism is configured to move along one side of the sheets. Patent Document 2 also discloses a configuration in which the stapleless binding mechanism is located closer to the front of the device than the staple binding mechanism.

JP 2015-16970 A JP 2018-167937 A

In such a sheet binding device, particularly when the stapleless binding mechanism is located on the front side of the device as described in Patent Document 2, the space required for the stapleless binding mechanism to retract when refilling the staples in the staple binding mechanism (removing an empty staple cartridge and inserting a new staple cartridge) becomes large. Therefore, it is desirable to retract the stapleless binding mechanism in a more compact configuration and refill the staples in the staple binding mechanism.

In order to solve the above problem, the sheet binding device of the present invention includes a first transport section that transports a sheet in a first transport direction, a placement section that temporarily places the sheet transported in the first transport direction by the first transport section, a second transport section that transports the sheet on the placement section transported by the first transport section in a second transport direction opposite to the first transport direction, an abutment section against which the downstream end edge in the second transport direction of the sheet transported in the second transport direction by the second transport section is abutted, an alignment section that aligns the sheet abutted against the abutment section in the sheet width direction, a stapler section that performs a staple process on a sheet stack consisting of multiple sheets aligned in the alignment section, and a stapler section that performs a staple process on a sheet stack consisting of multiple sheets aligned in the alignment section. The stapler includes a post-processing unit having a stapleless binding unit that performs a stapleless binding process by attaching and detaching the stapled sheets to the stapler, a movement mechanism that moves the stapler in the sheet width direction, a loading unit that is arranged downstream of the placement unit in the first transport direction and that loads the sheets transported in the first transport direction by the first transport unit, and a discharge unit that discharges the sheet stack that has been subjected to the stapled or stapleless binding process to the loading unit, the stapleless binding unit is arranged closer to the front of the device in the sheet width direction than the stapler, the stapler is configured to have a removable staple cartridge for refilling staples, and the movement mechanism moves the stapler to a stapler position where the stapler performs the stapler process on the sheet stack and a staple refilling position where the staple cartridge is attached and detached, and when the movement mechanism positions the stapler at the staple refilling position, the stapleless binding unit is positioned closer to the front of the device than the stapler and closer to the front of the device than the stapler position where the stapleless binding process is performed in the sheet width direction.

The present invention allows a compact configuration of a sheet binding device to retract the stapleless binding mechanism and replenish staples to the staple binding mechanism.

1 is an explanatory diagram of the overall configuration of an image forming system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a post-processing device in the image forming system of FIG. 1 . FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a lifting mechanism for a stack tray. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a jog shift mechanism of the stack tray. 11 is an explanatory diagram of an operation in a state where a sheet is discharged onto a processing tray. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an aligning operation of sheets on a processing tray. An explanatory diagram of an operation in which the jog shift mechanism of the stack tray and the alignment means are linked to move the sheets to the stapleless binding position. FIG. 13 illustrates a state in which the second and subsequent sheets are discharged onto the processing tray. 13 is an explanatory diagram of an operation in which the second and subsequent sheets are moved to a stapleless binding position and bound; 13 is an explanatory diagram of an operation in which the stack tray is moved to a center position before the stapled sheet stack is discharged. FIG. 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating an operation of discharging the bound sheet stack onto a stack tray. 13 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment in which a plurality of sheets are aligned on a processing tray and shifted into a bundle for stapleless binding. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a control configuration of the image forming system in FIG. 1 . FIG. FIG. 13 is a top view of the staple unit when it moves to the staple replenishing position. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the staple unit when it moves to the staple replenishing position. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating a configuration in which the staple unit moves the stapleless binding unit.

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an image forming system, which is composed of an image forming device (unit) A that forms an image on a sheet, a post-processing device (unit) B that collates and stacks the image-formed sheets and performs post-processing such as binding, and an intermediate transport unit C that transports the sheets from the image forming device A to the post-processing device B. Note that the image forming device A and the intermediate transport unit C may be separate units, or may be provided in the same housing.

[Image forming apparatus]
1 is connected to image handling devices such as a computer and a network scanner (not shown), forms an image on a specified sheet based on image data transferred from these devices, and sends it out to the relay transport unit C. In addition to such a network configuration, the image forming device A is configured as a copier or facsimile, and copies and forms an image on a sheet based on data read by an original scanning unit.

To this end, image forming device A has multiple paper feed cassettes 2 prepared in a housing 1, and feeds sheets of a selected size from the cassettes to a downstream paper feed path 3. This paper feed path 3 is provided with an image forming mechanism (image forming unit) 4. There are various types of image forming mechanisms 4 known. For example, an inkjet printing mechanism, an electrostatic printing mechanism, an offset printing mechanism, a silk screen printing mechanism, a ribbon transfer printing mechanism, etc. Any printing mechanism can be used in the present invention.

A relay transport path 5 is provided downstream of the image forming mechanism 4, and the sheet is discharged from a relay paper discharge port 6 arranged in the housing of the relay transport unit C. Note that, depending on the printing mechanism, a fixing unit (not shown) is built in between the image forming unit 4 and the relay transport path 5. In this way, a sheet of a selected size is sent from the paper feed cassette 2 to the image forming unit 4, and after an image is formed, it is transported from the relay transport path 5 to the relay paper discharge port 6. In addition, a reversing path 7 is arranged in the housing 1. This reversing path 7 is a path for forming an image on the front side of the sheet in the image forming unit 4, inverting the sheet inside the device, and feeding it again to the image forming unit 4, and after forming an image on the back side of the sheet, it is transported to the relay paper discharge port 6. In the illustrated device, the sheet is once fed out of the housing from a reversing paper discharge port 8 (see FIG. 1), which is different from the relay paper discharge port 6, and then switched back and transported inside the device, and the sheet is inverted on a U-turn path and resent to the image forming unit 4.

The post-processing device B, which will be described later, is connected to the relay paper discharge port 6. Also, a device configuration is known in which a scanner unit and a document feeding unit that feeds document sheets to the scanner unit are integrally incorporated into the housing 1. In this case, the scanner unit scans and reads the image of the document sheet placed on the platen or fed from the feeder mechanism, and transfers the read data to the image forming unit. The document feeding unit also has a feeder mechanism that feeds the document sheet to the platen of the scanner unit. The present invention can also employ a device configuration that has such units integrally incorporated. Also, an operation panel 83 is provided on the top surface of the relay transport unit C for setting the mode and paper type for this image forming system.

[Post-processing device]
The post-processing device B is composed of a housing 10, a sheet transport path (paper discharge path; the same applies below) 11 built into the housing, a processing tray 15, and a stack tray 40. The structure will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, and 15.

"Sheet transport path"
The sheet transport path 11 includes an inlet 12 connected to the relay paper discharge port 6 of the relay transport unit C described above, and a paper discharge port 13. The sheet with an image formed thereon is transported into the device from the inlet 12 and discharged to the paper discharge port 13. The sheet transport path 11 is configured as a paper discharge path that transfers the sheet sent from the relay paper discharge port 6 toward a stack tray 40 described later, and in the path, a sheet end detection sensor Se1 that detects the leading and trailing ends of the sheet, transport rollers 14a and 14b that transport the sheet, and an upper transport path guide 28 and a lower transport path guide 29 that guide the sheet transported by the transport rollers 14a and 14b (thereby forming a sheet transport path) are appropriately arranged. A roller drive motor (not shown) is connected to each of the transport rollers 14a and 14b. The illustrated sheet transport path 11 is configured as a substantially straight path in a substantially horizontal direction that crosses the housing 10. At the sheet discharge port 13 of the sheet transport path 11, a processing tray 15 and a stack tray 40 are disposed downstream thereof in the following configuration.

Processing tray
As shown in FIG. 2, the processing tray 15 is composed of a paper loading platform 16 that forms a step with the paper discharge port 13 and supports sheets on the downstream side of the step, a pair of alignment means 25f and 25r that align the sheet width direction arranged on the paper loading platform, a post-processing means 17, and a trailing end regulating stopper 18. The illustrated paper loading platform 16 is configured to support the trailing end of a sheet that is transported backward from the paper discharge port 13 (sheet feeding in the opposite direction to paper discharge). The leading end of the sheet is supported on a stack tray 40 described later, and the trailing end of the sheet is supported (bridge supported) on the paper loading platform 16. In this way, the stack tray 40 and the processing tray 15 are arranged on approximately the same plane, and the front half of the sheet is supported by one tray and the rear half by the other tray, so that the device can be made smaller than when multiple trays that support the entire sheet are arranged in front and behind.

The paper loading platform 16 is provided with a rear end regulation stopper 18 that abuts against and regulates the rear end of the sheet, and an alignment means 25 that aligns the sheet widthwise in the direction perpendicular to the sheet discharge direction. Various alignment mechanisms are known, but the alignment means 25 in this embodiment is configured to be movable in the sheet width direction by moving plate-like members (front alignment plate 25f and rear alignment plate 25r) protruding from the paper loading platform 16 along guide grooves 26 with a motor (not shown). The alignment means 25 positions the sheet brought onto the processing tray at the position where it is discharged. The device shown in the figure shows the center reference.

A staple unit that binds the set of sheets is arranged on the paper loading platform 16 as post-processing means 17. The staple unit is known as a device that bends a straight staple into a U-shape, inserts it into the sheet stack from the top to the bottom, and bends the tip of the staple. As such, as the post-processing means 17, a staple unit, punch unit, stamp unit, trimmer unit, etc. can be used depending on the device specifications, but in this embodiment, two types of binding processing devices are provided: the staple unit 17 and a pressure binding unit as disclosed in JP 2015-124069 A.

A reversing roller mechanism 20 is disposed at the discharge port 13 of the sheet transport path 11. This reversing roller mechanism 20 transports the sheet sent to the discharge port 13 downstream in the paper discharge direction, and reverses the transport direction when the rear end of the sheet passes the sheet end detection sensor Se1, is transported a predetermined amount, and passes the discharge port 13. This causes the sheet to be guided from its rear end in the paper discharge direction along the paper loading platform 16 of the processing tray 15 to the rear end regulation stopper 18.

The processing tray 15 is provided with a friction rotor 19 that cooperates with a reversing roller mechanism 20 (described later) located at the paper discharge port 13 to guide the sheet to the trailing end regulating stopper 18. The illustrated friction rotor 19 is located at a position where it engages with the stack of sheets on the paper loading platform 16. This friction rotor 19 is composed of a pick-up roller (which may be a belt) and is driven by a drive belt so that it rotates integrally with the paper discharge roller 14c. It engages with the top of the stack of sheets under its own weight. The sheet transported backward from the reversing roller 20 by the rotation of the friction rotor 19, which is the pick-up roller, is transported to the trailing end regulating stopper 18 and stops when it hits it.

"Reversing roller mechanism"
The reversing roller mechanism 20 is composed of an upper roller 21 and a lower roller 22, and is composed of the upper roller 21 that engages with the upper surface of the sheet sent from the paper discharge port 13 and the lower roller 22 that engages with the lower surface of the sheet, and after transferring the sheet sent from the paper discharge port 13 in the paper discharge direction, reverses the transport direction and carries it into the processing tray 15. The upper roller 21 is swingably supported by the device frame F and is configured to be able to rise and fall between an operating position where it is pressed against the lower roller 22 and a standby position where it is separated from the lower roller 22. At the same time, the rotation of a roller drive motor (forward/reverse motor) RM is transmitted to the upper roller 21, and the upper roller 21 is able to rotate in the paper discharge direction (clockwise direction in the figure) and the opposite direction to the paper discharge direction (counterclockwise direction in the figure).

A pair of roller brackets (swinging arms) 24 are supported on the device frame F so that they can swing around a swing fulcrum 23. A roller rotation shaft is rotatably supported by bearings on the pair of roller brackets 24, and the upper roller 21 is fitted to this rotation shaft. The swing fulcrum 23 is supported by the device frame rotatably or by a fixed means, and the roller bracket 24 is fitted to the swing fulcrum 23 directly or via a collar member. This allows the bracket base end to be supported so that it can swing in any angular direction around the swing fulcrum 23. A collar member (rotating collar) is loosely fitted to the rotating support shaft 23, and a drive pulley (not shown) that transmits rotation to the rotation shaft of the upper roller 21 is connected to the drive pulley. A roller drive motor is connected to the drive pulley.

The reversing roller 20 selectively discharges the sheets sent to the discharge port 13 to the stack tray 40 and the processing tray 15 in the "first discharge mode" and "second discharge mode" described later. In the first discharge mode, the sheets sent to the discharge port 13 are nipped one by one by the upper roller 21 and the lower roller 22 and fed to the downstream stack tray 40. The first discharge mode includes a jog discharge in which the sheets are jog-sorted by copy on the stack tray, and a straight discharge in which the sheets are discharged without being sorted. In the second discharge mode described later, the sheets sent from the discharge port are stacked on the paper loading platform and the lower roller, and the top sheet is fed from the discharge port in the discharge direction by the upper roller, and then in the opposite direction to the discharge direction, for switchback transport. The sheet stack that has been accumulated and bound in the processing tray 15 is discharged to the downstream stack tray 40 by the reversing roller mechanism 20.

In the above description, the stack of sheets accumulated on the processing tray 15 is bound, and then the stack of sheets is transported to the downstream stack tray 40 by the reversing roller mechanism 20. However, it is also possible to provide a conveyor means for transporting the stack of sheets from the processing tray 15 together with the reversing roller mechanism 20.

The trailing end regulation stopper 18 is composed of a plate-like member that abuts and regulates the trailing end of the sheet as shown in FIG. 4, and is arranged in one location or multiple locations spaced apart in the sheet width direction. This stopper is arranged on the trailing edge of the sheet together with post-processing means such as the staple unit 17, so if the staple unit is configured to be movable in the sheet width direction, the trailing end regulation stopper 18 is also configured to move in the sheet width direction in conjunction with the staple unit 17. Also, when the staple unit 17 is fixed in place without being movable in the sheet width direction, the trailing end regulation stopper 18 can be formed integrally with the staple unit.

[Stack Tray]
Next, the stack tray will be described. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the stack tray 40 is disposed downstream of the sheet discharge port 13 of the sheet transport path 11. The above-mentioned processing tray 15 is disposed downstream of the sheet discharge port 13, and the stack tray 40 is disposed downstream of the sheet discharge port 13 and the carry-out port 13 of the processing tray. The sheets sent out from the sheet discharge port 13 are stored in the stack tray 40.

The stack tray 40 is composed of a tray stand 41 and a paper tray 42. The tray stand 41 is supported on the device frame F so that it can move up and down with a specified stroke. The paper tray 42 is configured in a tray shape with a tray surface for stacking and storing sheets. The paper tray 42 is supported on the tray stand 41, and a jog shift mechanism (described later) is provided so that the paper tray 42 can be jog shifted a specified amount in the sheet width direction relative to the tray stand 41.

"Tray lifting mechanism"
4 shows the lifting mechanism for the stack tray 40. Guide rails 43 are arranged on the top and bottom of the device frame F in the loading direction, and slide rollers 44 fixed to the connecting parts (joint plates) of the tray stand 41 are fitted into the guide rails 43. The guide rails 43 are made of rod-shaped guides, channel steel, H-shaped steel, etc., and the tray stand 41 is slidably fitted into them.

The tray stand 41 is constructed as a frame structure strong enough to support the weight of the paper tray 42 and the sheets loaded thereon, and is supported at one end by a guide rail that is similarly constructed to be sturdy. A suspension pulley 45a is axially fixed to the upper end of the guide rail 43 on the device frame F, and a winding pulley 45b is axially fixed to the lower end. A traction member 45c, such as a wire or toothed belt, is suspended between the two pulleys. A winding motor MM is connected to the winding pulley 45b via a reduction mechanism.

At the same time, a coil spring 46 for weight reduction is suspended between the tray stand 41 and the device frame F. That is, one end of the spring 46 is fixed to the device frame F, and the other end is fixed to the tray stand 41 via a traction pulley 47. An initial tension is applied to this spring 46. Therefore, the weight of the paper tray 42 and the sheets loaded thereon is reduced according to the elastic force of the coil spring 46, and the load torque of the winding motor is reduced. Alternatively, a weight reduction mechanism in which a weight is suspended from a hanging pulley instead of a coil spring may be used.

"Paper tray"
The paper tray 42 has a paper surface 42a on which sheets fed from the paper discharge port 13 above are placed in a stacked manner. This paper surface 42a may be horizontal, but in this embodiment, it is inclined at a predetermined angle. This is to correct the posture of the stacked sheets toward the rear end side by their own weight. If the inclination angle of this paper surface 42a is 30 degrees or less with respect to the horizontal line, the sheets do not return by their own weight, making it difficult to correct the posture of the sheets. In this embodiment, the paper tray 42 is set at about 45 degrees. The purpose is to enable a large amount of stacking at a higher speed by setting a large inclination angle to receive the sheets discharged at high speed from the paper discharge port 13 and quickly restrict them at the rear end side.

The paper tray 42 is supported by a tray stand 41 and moves up and down along a guide rail 43. A fence plate 48 having a rear end regulating surface 48f that regulates the rear end of the sheet is also arranged on the device frame F. This fence plate 48 may be a wall structure fixed to the device frame, but the one shown is structured so that the paper tray 42 jog shifts a predetermined amount in the sheet width direction, and therefore the fence plate 48 also jog shifts at the same time as the paper tray. The structure will be described later.

[Jog shift mechanism]
The jog shift mechanism of the paper tray 42 supported by the tray stand 41 shown in FIG. 5 will be described. In the figure, the paper tray 42 is located on the front side of the figure, and the device frame F is located on the rear side. In this layout, the paper tray 42 is engaged with the fence plate 48 in a concave-convex manner, and is connected so as to be movable in the left-right direction (sheet width direction) of the figure. In other words, a convex portion is formed on one side of the paper tray 42 and the fence plate 48, and a concave portion is formed on the other side, and the two are engaged (dovetail engagement, etc.) to be integrated. The fence plate 48 is provided with a slide roller 48a, which is engaged and supported by a horizontal guide rail 49. The horizontal guide rail 49 is fixed to the device frame F in the sheet width direction.

In this configuration, when either the fence plate 48 or the paper tray 42 is moved in the sheet width direction, both move simultaneously in the same direction by the same amount. The illustrated device has a jog shift motor GM and a cam member 50 connected to this motor arranged on the device frame F. A cam pin 52 fits into a cam groove 51 formed in this cam member 50 (the illustrated one is an eccentric cam), and this cam pin 52 is planted and integrated into the fence plate 48. An encoder 53 is arranged on the rotation shaft of the jog shift motor GM to control the rotation angle. In addition, a home position sensor (not shown) is arranged on the motor rotation shaft.

When the jog shift motor GM is rotated a predetermined angle, the cam member 50 connected to it rotates a predetermined angle (the one shown is an eccentric cam). The cam pin 52, which is fitted into the cam groove 51, moves the fence plate 48, which is integrated with it, a predetermined amount in the sheet width direction. In conjunction with this movement, the paper tray 42 also moves integrally in the same direction.

[Paper surface detection mechanism]
The stack tray 40 is provided with a paper surface detection mechanism 60 for detecting the height position of the stacked paper surface and the presence or absence of paper.

The above-mentioned mechanisms of the post-processing device B are supported by the front metal plate 30f and the rear metal plate 30r that constitute the unit frame F inside the unit housing 10 of the post-processing device B. In addition, the motors and circuit boards for driving each mechanism are provided on the side surface further to the rear of the rear metal plate 30r.

Figure 15 is a perspective view of post-processing device B and relay transport unit C. An opening/closing cover 10a is provided on the unit housing 10 of post-processing device B, and a user can grasp handle 10b to open and close the opening/closing cover 10a relative to the unit housing 10. The opening/closing cover 10a may be opened and closed vertically or diagonally using a link mechanism (not shown), or may be opened and closed by rotating counterclockwise or clockwise using a rotating shaft (not shown). Making the opening/closing cover 10a openable and closable makes it possible to remove sheets that have jammed in the sheet transport path 11.

In addition, an opening and closing door 10c is provided on the side of the unit housing 10 that is further forward than the front side metal plate 30f and on the side of the relay transport unit C. By opening the opening and closing door 10c, staples can be refilled in the staple unit 17 (replacement of the staple cartridge 170) and maintenance of the stapleless binding unit can be performed.

[Output Mode]
Next, the sheet discharge modes from the discharge port 13 to the stack tray 40 in the present invention will be described. The control means 85 described later has a first discharge mode and a second discharge mode. The first discharge mode is a discharge operation in which the sheet sent to the sheet transport path 11 is stored in the paper tray 42 from the discharge port 13, and selectively executes a straight discharge operation in which the sheet sent from the discharge port 13 is discharged without offsetting the set alignment, and a jog discharge operation in which the sheet is offset from the discharge port 13 for each set and stored on the tray.

In the second discharge mode, the sheets sent to the sheet transport path 11 are collated and stacked on the processing tray 15 from the discharge outlet 13 and bound. At this time, the following operations are selectively performed: corner binding, which staples one corner of the sheets; center binding, which staples two central points of the sheets; and stapleless binding, which staples one corner of the sheets without a staple.

[Control configuration]
The control configuration of the image forming system shown in Fig. 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 14. The image forming unit A is provided with a control CPU 75, to which a ROM 76 storing an operation program and a RAM 77 storing control data are connected. The control CPU 75 is further provided with a paper feed control section 78, an image forming control section 79, and a paper discharge control section 80. A mode setting section 81 and a control panel 83 equipped with an input section 82 are also connected to the control CPU 75.

The control CPU 75 is also configured to select between a "printout mode," a "jog mode," and a "post-processing mode." In the "printout mode," sheets on which images have been formed are stored in the stack tray 40 without being subjected to finishing processing. In the "jog mode," sheets on which images have been formed are offset-stored in the stack tray 40 so that they can be collated and sorted. In the "post-processing mode," sheets on which images have been formed are collated, stacked, and bound before being stored in the stack tray 40.

The post-processing unit B is provided with a post-processing control CPU 85, to which a sheet discharge operation control section, a stacking operation control section which collates and stacks sheets on the processing tray 15, a binding process control section, and a stack control section are connected.
"Shift operation"

This section describes the shifting operation of the sheet discharged onto the paper tray in the second discharge mode.

Figures 6 to 12 are explanatory diagrams showing how the sheets discharged onto the paper tray 16 are moved one by one to the binding position (front side) of the stapleless binding unit 27, where they are pressure-stitched and then the stapled sheet stack is discharged onto the paper tray 42.

Figure 6 shows the state in which a sheet sent from image forming device A is transported by transport rollers 14 and discharged onto paper tray 16. When sheet S is discharged onto paper tray 16, it is reversed and transported by reversing roller mechanism 20 until its rear end hits rear end regulating stopper 18. At this time, the leading edge of sheet S is slowed down from the speed at the time of discharge by contacting the inclination of paper tray 42, and after passing through transport rollers 14, the weight of sheet S allows it to hit rear end regulating stopper 18 more quickly. Note that alignment plates 25f and 25r are located in a standby position where they do not contact sheet S.

Figure 7 shows the sheet S aligned by clamping it between alignment plates 25f and 25r.

Figure 8 shows the state in which the sheet S has been moved to the front side where the stapleless binding unit 27 is located. This shift operation to the front side will be described in detail.

As described above, the sheet S is supported across the paper loading platform 16 and the paper loading tray 42, in a so-called bridge stacking state. The paper loading tray 42 has a large inclination angle in order to hold the sheets discharged at high speed, and the above-mentioned bridge stacking causes the leading edge of the sheet S to be in strong contact with the paper loading tray 42. Therefore, if the sheet S is moved using only the alignment plate 25, the sheet S may tilt and its alignment may deteriorate. In particular, the first sheet discharged has high friction with the tray surface, making it more difficult to move.

In the device of this embodiment, when a sheet supported across the paper loading platform 16 and the paper loading tray 42 is moved in the width direction, the sheet is moved while being clamped by the alignment plate 25, and the jog shift mechanism of the paper loading tray 42 is operated to move the sheet in the width direction in sync, so that the sheet S can be moved to the opening of the stapleless binding unit 27 while maintaining its alignment.

In particular, in devices that perform binding by pressing sheets together like the stapleless binding unit 27, as shown in FIG. 2, the opening through which the sheets can enter is narrower (approximately 10 sheets) than the opening of a stapler that uses staples (approximately 70 sheets) (see Patent Document 1), and so the unit must be installed outside the area in which the stack to be stapled is placed, which means that the distance traveled to the binding position tends to be long. With a configuration that combines an alignment plate and a tray movement mechanism as in this embodiment, the sheets can be moved stably even when shifted a relatively long distance.

Figure 9 shows the state in which sheet S2, which forms the same stack as sheet S, is discharged onto the paper tray 16 and abuts against the trailing end restriction stopper 18. Alignment plate 25f remains in the shift position of sheet S that has already been shifted, and alignment plate 25r is positioned away from sheet S to receive sheet S2.

Figure 10 shows the state in which sheet S2 is moved to the front side by alignment plate 25r to form sheet stack ST. The operations from Figure 9 to Figure 10 are repeated continuously until the specified number of sheets is reached.

Figure 11 shows the state in which the sheet stack ST has been stapled by the staplerless binding device 27, and the sheet stack ST is held by the alignment plate 25 while the paper tray 42 is returned to the center position. This allows the sheet stack to be discharged in an unshifted state (center position) on the paper tray 42. Note that if the sheet stack is discharged with the paper tray 42 in the shifted position, the stack can be shifted (sorted) on the paper tray 42, so either mode may be used.

Figure 12 shows the state in which the sheet stack ST has been discharged onto the paper tray 42.

Figure 13 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment in which multiple sheets are stacked on the paper loading platform 16 to form a sheet stack ST, and the sheet stack ST is moved to the stapleless binding position. Each time a sheet is discharged, an alignment operation is performed on the alignment plate 25, and when a predetermined number of sheets have been discharged, the sheet stack ST is moved to the stapleless binding position while being sandwiched between alignment plates 25r and 25f. At this time, the leading edge of the sheet stack ST is placed on the paper loading tray 42, so that it does not get caught during the movement, the jog shift mechanism of the paper loading tray 42 is operated in synchronization with the movement of the alignment plate 25, and the sheet stack ST is moved to the front side where the stapleless binding position is located.

The shifting of sheets by synchronizing the stack tray and alignment plate as described above is effective in ensuring alignment when the inclination angle of the stack tray is large as disclosed in this embodiment, as well as when the frictional resistance between the leading edge of the sheet and the stack tray when the sheet is moved is large.

In this embodiment, the mode in which the shifted sheets are stapled has been described, but the mode can also be applied to the case in which unstitched sheets are shifted without being stapled. Also, up to this point, the explanation has been given of the sheets being sandwiched between alignment plates, but even when the sheets are moved using one of the alignment plates, it is possible to prevent a decrease in alignment by moving them in sync with the stack tray.

<Replenishing Staples in Staple Unit 17>
The post-processing device B of this embodiment is provided with a stapleless binding unit 27 on the front side of the device and a staple unit 17 on the rear side. Here, when the staples in the staple unit 17 become empty, it is necessary to replenish the staples. Below, the configuration that allows the user to replenish the staples in the staple unit 17 will be described with reference to Figures 16 to 18.

Figure 16 is a top view of post-processing device B. In the state shown in Figure 16, the staple unit 17 has moved to the staple refill position at the front of the device. At that time, the stapleless binding unit 27 is positioned further forward than the staple unit 17 at the staple refill position. In this state, the user removes the empty staple cartridge 170 from the staple unit 17 in the direction of arrow EX in the figure, and then installs the staple cartridge 170 containing new staples into the staple unit 17.

Figure 17 is a perspective view of the staple unit 17 when it has moved to the staple refill position, and Figure 18 is a view of the staple unit 17 and the stapleless binding unit 27 as viewed from the transport direction, showing the staple unit 17 and the stapleless binding unit 27 when they have moved to the staple refill position.

The sliding member 35 is a member that rotatably supports the staple unit 17 and moves along a guide groove (not shown) of the shaft 34 and the support member 32. The sliding member 35 is provided with a pressing member 36 that presses the stapleless binding unit 27 in the direction of arrow P, and the staple unit 17 and the pressing member 36 move along the shaft 34 in the sheet width direction (the direction along the sheet edge regulated by the rear end regulation stopper 18) as the sliding member 35 moves. A drive belt (not shown) that extends parallel to the shaft 34 is fixed to the sliding member 35, and the sliding member 35 moves along the shaft 34 by rotating the drive belt by a motor (not shown).

The stapleless binding unit 27 is fixed to the engagement member 38, and the engagement member 38 moves along the shaft 337, so that the stapleless binding unit 27 also moves while maintaining the angle at which the stapleless binding process is performed. The shaft 37 extends in the same direction as the shaft 34 between the fixed members 39b and 39c provided on the bottom surface of the support member 32. A spring 39a is provided between the fixed member 39b and the engagement member 38, and the engagement member 38 is biased toward the rear side of the device. When the engagement member 38 biased toward the rear side abuts against the fixed member 39c, it is positioned at that position, and that position becomes the stapleless binding process position for the sheet stack ST. Note that a locking mechanism may be provided to fix the position of the stapleless binding unit 27 when performing the stapleless binding process at the stapleless binding process position. This stabilizes the stapleless binding position. When refilling staples in the staple unit 17, the locking mechanism may be unlocked to allow the stapleless binding unit 27 to move to the front side.

Here, the front side metal plate 30f has a front opening 31f. The support member 32 and the shaft 37 are arranged to pass through the front opening 31f, and a part of the staple unit 17, the pressing member 36, the engaging member 38, the spring 39a, and the stapleless binding unit 27 are configured to be movable to the front side and rear side relative to the front side metal plate 30f through the front opening 31f.

The angle change rail 33 shown in FIG. 17 is a rail with which a guide pin (not shown) provided on the bottom surface of the staple unit 17 engages. When the sliding member 35 moves in the sheet width direction with the guide pin engaged with the angle change rail 33, the staple unit 17 moves in the sheet width direction and rotates on the sliding member 35, changing the angle of the staple unit 17. Various configurations of the angle change mechanism of the staple unit 17 are disclosed in JP-A-2016-128359, JP-A-2014-61964, JP-A-2016-130162, JP-A-2019-167194, etc., so detailed description will be omitted. With such an angle change mechanism, the staple unit 17 can perform rear corner binding, front corner binding, and two-point parallel binding (two-point binding parallel to the edge of the sheet bundle regulated by the rear end regulation stopper 18) on the sheet bundle placed on the processing tray 15. Furthermore, when the staple unit 17 is positioned at the staple refill position, the staple cartridge 170 is in an angled position facing the front side rather than the angled position for two-point parallel stapling. This allows the user to open the door 10c and attach/detach the staple cartridge 170 in the direction of the arrow EX to refill the staples in the staple unit 17.

The rear metal plate 30r is also provided with a rear opening 31r. As a result, when the staple unit 17 changes the angle to perform rear corner stapling, the staple cartridge 170 fits into the rear opening 31r, so the staple cartridge 170 does not interfere with the rear metal plate 30r.

In this embodiment, the staple refill position of the staple unit 17 is shown to be on the front side of the binding position for front corner binding of the sheet, but the binding position for front corner binding and the staple refill position may be in the same position as long as the staple cartridge 170 is in a position where it can be attached and detached through the front opening 31f at the binding position for front corner binding.

In addition, although the angular posture of the staple unit 17 at the staple refill position is the same as the binding posture for front corner stapling, the angular posture may be such that the staple cartridge 170 faces further toward the front side. Also, the angular posture of the staple unit 17 at the staple refill position may be moved further toward the front side while remaining in the angular posture for two-point parallel stapling.
In addition, in the configuration in which the stapleless binding unit 27 is retracted to the front side when replenishing staples in the staple unit 17, a configuration in which the stapleless binding unit 27 is pushed to the front side (in the direction of arrow P) using the movement power of the staple unit 17 has been shown, but it may also be moved using a separate drive source.

In this embodiment, the stapleless binding unit 27 is disposed on the front side of the staple unit 17 in the sheet width direction, so that the stapleless binding unit 27 needs to retreat in the sheet width direction, the sheet transport direction, or the vertical direction when replenishing staples in the staple unit 17. However, the stapleless binding position where the stapleless binding unit 27 performs the stapleless binding process overlaps with the paper tray 16 in the sheet transport direction, so when retreating in the sheet transport direction, the paper tray 16 also needs to be moved or the paper tray 16 needs to be bypassed, which increases costs and increases the size of the device. In addition, retreating in the vertical direction also increases the size of the device because there is the sheet transport path 11 above and space is required below to place a drive motor (not shown). Therefore, by retreating in the same direction as the sheet width direction in which the staple unit 17 moves as in this embodiment, staples can be replenished with a minimum increase in the size of the device.

13 Paper discharge port 15 Processing tray 17 Staple unit 18 Rear end regulation stopper 20 Reversing roller 27 Staple-less binding unit 40 Stack tray

Claims (3)

a first conveying unit that conveys the sheet in a first conveying direction;
a placement section for temporarily placing the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying section;
a second conveying section that conveys the sheet on the placement section conveyed by the first conveying section in a second conveying direction opposite to the first conveying direction;
an abutting portion against which a downstream edge of the sheet conveyed in the second conveying direction by the second conveying portion is abutted in the second conveying direction;
an alignment section that aligns the sheet in a sheet width direction against the sheet abutted against the abutment section;
A post-processing unit having a stapler unit that performs a staple process on a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets aligned by the alignment unit, and a stapleless binding unit that performs a stapleless binding process on a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets aligned by the alignment unit;
a moving mechanism that moves the stapler unit in the sheet width direction;
a stacking section disposed downstream of the placement section in the first transport direction and configured to stack the sheets transported in the first transport direction by the first transport section;
a discharge section that discharges the sheet bundle that has been subjected to the staple binding process or the stapleless binding process to the stacking section,
the stapleless binding unit is disposed closer to the front side of the apparatus in the sheet width direction than the staple binding unit,
The staple binding unit is configured so that a staple cartridge for replenishing staples can be detachably attached,
the moving mechanism moves the stapler unit to a stapling position where the stapler unit performs the stapling process on the sheet stack, and a staple refilling position where the staple cartridge is detached and staples are replenished;
A sheet binding device characterized in that, when the moving mechanism positions the staple binding unit at the staple replenishing position, the stapleless binding unit is positioned closer to the front of the device in the sheet width direction than the staple binding unit and closer to the front of the device than a stapleless binding position where the stapleless binding process is performed. a front metal plate and a rear metal plate supporting the mounting portion,
An opening is provided in the front side sheet metal,
The sheet binding device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the staple binding section moves to the staple replenishing position, at least a portion of the stapleless binding section is positioned closer to the front of the device than the front side metal plate, and the staple cartridge is attached and detached through the opening. an image forming device that forms an image on a sheet;
a sheet binding device that performs a binding process on the sheets sent from the image forming apparatus;
It is composed of
3. An image forming system, comprising: the sheet binding device according to claim 1 or 2.

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